


Looking through you

by Marsipaani



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Children, Gen, Teenagers, and being friends, becoming friends, manipulative oikawa, my boys grow up lol, oikawa and iwaizumi as kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-14
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-21 04:36:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2454962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marsipaani/pseuds/Marsipaani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As first-graders Oikawa and Iwaizumi are definitely not friends. In fact, Hajime thinks he's the only one who doesn't like Oikawa, which is why it's surprising that the teacher thinks he'll be able to calm Oikawa's temper tantrum.</p><p>A series of very short oneshots of Oikawa and Iwaizumi growing up, updated irregularly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This will probably continue at some point, so I'm putting the questionmark there just in case! I just really wanted to write about these boys and their complicated relationship, so I'm starting at the very beginning and kind of seeing where it's going.
> 
> So this is probably gonna be a series of oneshots about Iwaizumi and Oikawa, and as they grow up rating and other stuff may change.

Seven-year-old Oikawa Tooru had locked himself into the bathroom and refused to get out. No-one could move before he would join them, so the whole class stood in front of the door in a line of twos, waiting. They were supposed to go on a field trip to the nearby forest, to look at bugs and plants with loupe and draw them on their sketchbooks.

The scent outside was the kind that was in the air only during the hottest days of July, when you could smell the soil, the trees and the flowers like everything was about to melt and evaporate in the heat. The sun was so bright Hajime had to squint even when he was looking down, because the gray concrete in front of their elementary school was radiating with light. He could feel the warmth through the soles of his sneakers.  
  
Hajime shifted from one foot to the other. Everyone around him was talking about Oikawa.  
  
”He’s is really upset! I said he could borrow my loupe but…”  
  
”Your loupe is not as good as mine! I’m sure he’ll take mine over yours!”  
  
”You’re both stupid! Oikawa has his dad’s real professional loupe, he doesn’t need yours!”  
  
”So why is he sad then?”  
  
”I wanna help him…”  
  
Hajime interrupted them. ”Oikawa is just pretending. He’s not sad for real.”  
  
”You’re so mean!” one of the girls said in an accusing tone. ”No wonder he’s not your friend!”  
  
”I don’t wanna be his friend!” Hajime scoffed.  
  
He and Oikawa had played together once. They had been first to finish a quiz and had gone to recess before anyone else. Oikawa had shown Hajime his alien toys and they had played abduction and invasion and alien fight. When there were just the two of them, Oikawa didn’t tell Hajime what to do and even let him choose which alien he wanted to play with.  
  
Otherwise Oikawa was dumb, and Hajime had said it to his face many times.  
  
”Iwaizumi-kun? Come here for a second, will you?”  
  
Their teacher, Miwa-sensei, was holding the door open. Hajime frowned, but stepped inside. For a moment he couldn’t see anything, because it had been so bright outside.  
  
”I was wondering if you could go and talk to Oikawa-kun. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”  
  
Hajime blinked. Oikawa never did what anyone told him. Well, he sometimes stopped his pretend tantrums when Hajime told him he was being stupid, but right after he acted as if he hadn’t even heard him.  
  
But maybe it was that he actually listened to Hajime, and no-one else?  So, he nodded and marched determinately towards the bathroom. Miwa exchanged looks with another teacher before following him.  
  
Oikawa was completely silent inside the bathroom stall. Hajime had no idea what to say, so he cleared his throat, to let Oikawa know someone was there. He heard a sob.  
  
”Oikawa! Everyone is waiting for you!” Hajime stamped his food in irritation.  
  
Oikawa sobbed louder.  
  
”You’re being dumb again. Stop pretending.”  
  
Miwa wondered if this had been a good idea after all. She simply didn’t know what else to try. Oikawa was unlike any child she had worked with: he was very smart for his age, absolutely charming when he wanted to be, but he acted out more than all of her pupils combined. She, or any of the teachers simply didn’t have any authority over him. Every time Miwa tried to scold Tooru, she found herself consoling the boy instead, like somehow she had wrongfully accused him and should make up for it.  
  
Iwaizumi, however, seemed to be immune to Oikawa’s charm. It was embarrassing, really, that Miwa had to rely on another first-grader like this, but she was really out of options. She couldn’t leave Oikawa behind, and breaking the lock and carrying him all the way to the forest was something she definitely wanted to avoid.  
  
It was silent again. The boy had stopped sobbing. ”You’re dumb!” he suddenly called back without a trace of tears in his voice.  
  
Hajime huffed. ”I really wanna go. Just, come out, they’re all waiting for you. Yoshiko-chan wants to borrow you her loupe.”  
  
”Mine is better.”  
  
”Why aren’t you coming if you have a loupe and everything?” Hajime asked.  
  
Slinece. Then, a small voice. ”Tomi said my drawings look ugly. I don’t even want to draw some stupid flowers…”  
  
”Who cares? He can’t even do a ladybug, and everyone can do that.” Hajime took a deep breath. ”Please, Oikawa,” he said, swallowing his pride.  
  
”If it’s that important to you,” Oikawa said airily, cracking the door open. ”You’re my pair then, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa stepped out and took Hajime’s hand, smirking. His face showed no traces of crying.  
  
Hajime withdrew his hand immediately, but from that moment on he was Oikawa’s pair.


	2. Chapter 2

If third-graders Tooru and Iwaizumi hadn't been friends, Tooru would have probably hated the other boy.  
  
The thing is, Tooru knew he was special. The idea of being just like everyone else irritated him, because everyone else was boring and predictable. Like right now, as he was waiting for Iwaizumi outside the school and listening to a couple of six-graders’ conversation behind him, he could tell exactly what they were thinking. The girl wanted the boy to go away but didn’t want to offend him, and the boy knew this but nevertheless let himself be fooled by the girl’s smile.  
  
”No, I’m really not cold! But thanks for your concern…” a crunching sound, maybe taking a step in the snow.  
  
”I’d be honored if you’d take my scarf…”  
  
More crunching.  
  
”I really can’t, and you’d be cold without it too…”  
  
”How sweet of you to be concerned about me… I could walk you home maybe?”  
  
”Umm… I’m waiting for a friend so…”  
  
”I can walk you both!”  
  
”Really, I don’t…”  
  
And on and on it went, an endless circle of politeness and misunderstanding. Tooru didn’t understand how these two just didn’t realize right away what the other was feeling and stop this pointless interaction already. Really, there was no way Tooru was as stupid as everyone else.  
  
But it was not like Tooru had any special talents either. He had tried everything, hoping to find out what he was gifted at. He had tried playing various instruments, he had tried drawing and painting, he had tried all imaginable sports, but nothing. He had practiced endlessly only to find that he was still just mediocre. And, more often than not, Iwaizumi didn’t even have to try. He had excelled in basketball right away, so much that the coach had praised him already after their first practice. But then, after a few weeks, just as Tooru was finally getting a hang of it, Iwaizumi decided basketball was boring and quit it. And why would Tooru keep going without him?  
  
And now there was the math test Iwaizumi had taken today. He had been staying home sick the whole week, he hadn’t done any homework, didn’t even know what the test was about, and had gotten a B. Tooru, who had studied every night to learn the formulas by heart, had still gotten the exact same grade. And what had Iwaizumi said? ”It’s just so logical,” with a shrug.  
  
So Tooru might hate Iwaizumi, a little bit. He kicked the snow pile in front of him.  
  
Today they were going to start yet another club, volleyball. He didn’t know much about the sport, and wasn’t particularly excited. But since they had quitted basketball it was time to try something else.  
  
Tooru jumped a bit as Iwaizumi suddenly appeared next to him. He had been walking silently even in the freshly fallen snow.  
  
”Hi, Iwa-chan,” Tooru greeted, getting a small smile and a ”hi” in return.  
  
Before heading towards the gym Iwaizumi stopped to study Tooru’s face, making him squirm. Finally, he said: ”let’s go then,” but sounded more like a question.  
  
Tooru nodded. ”You took so long we’re gonna be late now,” he said accusingly, even if he didn’t really care.  
  
Iwaizumi apologized, not sounding sorry at all.  
  
Tooru’s feet had gotten so cold his toes were already numb. They started tingling as they walked. His left shoe was leaking, there was a small hole in the sole, but he wouldn’t tell his mom just yet. Tooru’d manage somehow. When they reached the gym his toes had already regained sensation, and felt uncomfortably hot like they always did after nearly freezing.  
  
Through the door volleyball practice sounded a lot like basketball. The same squeaking of indoor shoes against the hard floor, but with significantly less trembles caused by the bouncing ball. Similar shouts were uttered with nearly equal amounts of encouragement and challenge: ”you can do it!” and ”I’ll beat you!” were sometimes said in the same breath.  
  
Tooru shoved open the double door and marched in without hesitation. He could hear the familiar exasperated sight behind him: Iwaizumi would have probably wanted to sneak in without anyone noticing. Well, it was his fault they were late, so this was what he deserved.  
  
There were maybe twenty boys inside. Tooru recognized everyone’s face, but could only name the third graders. Nearly everyone stopped what they were doing to gape at Iwaizumi and Tooru, one of the boys dropping the ball he was holding. It rolled towards Iwaizumi, who caught it almost instinctively.  
  
”Oh good, Iwaizumi Hajime and Oikawa Tooru, I assume,” the coach, a middle aged woman who looked almost two meters tall and at least one meter wide, said with a hint of laughter in her voice. ”How nice of you to grace our practice with your presence.”  
  
”I’m sorry we’re late,” Iwaizumi mumbled. Tooru said nothing, because again it wasn’t his fault.  
  
The coach was momentarily silent, looking at Tooru expectantly. When her inquire was met with a lever gaze, she said: ”Okay then. I’m coach Oshiro, welcome to play volleyball! Go and change first and join the warmup as quick as you can.”  
  
”Ossu!”  
  
The warmup consisted of running and passing the ball. Luckily for Tooru passing was something he had learned how to do in basketball, which meant he managed not to screw up already at the warmup.  
  
”Good, are you you feeling like you could start the real practice now?” the coach asked.  
  
The boys answered with a choir of yessirs.  
  
”Since this is the open practice and we have quite a number of new faces here, I’ll begin with explaining the rules and positions of the game,” the coach said, launching in a lengthy explanation, most of which Tooru didn’t understand.  
  
However, his interest was piqued when Oshiro talked about the position she played herself, the setter. It was something that hadn’t been in any other sport Tooru had tried. As far as he understood, the setter controlled the rest of the team. The player was like a spider sitting in the middle of the web, seeing everything, hearing everything. Tooru knew right away there was no other position he wanted to play.  
  
As they started the real practice, it became painfully obvious that as much as Tooru wanted to control the whole team, right now he couldn’t even control his own hands and feet. His tosses were off, sometimes by several meters, he stumbled every time he tried to spike, and managed to throw the ball behind himself when trying to serve the ball.  
  
Iwaizumi, on the other hand, seemed to be nearly on the same level with the boys who had been playing volleyball all year. He seemed to just know where the ball would be, hitting it every time he spiked. His spikes were lacking strength though, and weren’t high enough to go over the net, but everyone could see he had natural talent. Just as clearly as they could see Tooru had none.  
  
Still, there was something about the sport that interested Tooru. He liked the fact that there were no goals: all you had to do was keep the ball from touching the floor, and hopefully cast it on the other side of the net. No silly looking running from one side of the court to the other. And he could tell that in a real game every player would know their place, and the team would be coordinated like a dancers or soldiers performing according to a well rehearsed strategy. It would be like a machine, with the setter pushing all the buttons.  
  
After practice Iwaizumi could hardly contain his excitement. ”Did you see my last spike? It was so high that even the coach wouldn’t have been able to block it!”  
  
Tooru hummed. It was rare that Iwaizumi showed his enthusiasm so openly. Usually he only told others what he disliked, but kept the things he enjoyed a secret. But right now even his walking looked different, like he was trying hard not to hop with every step.  
  
”Did you like the practice, Oikawa?” he asked suddenly.  
  
”Yeah,” he said. ”But I wasn’t very good.”  
  
Iwaizumi huffed. ”So what. If you like playing volleyball, you should play. And you’ll get better with practice.” He paused to consider something. ”And… I wanna play with you. I wanna spike your tosses,” he continued with a smirk.  
  
Tooru grinned back. At least there was one person besides himself who saw him as a potential setter.  
  
And honestly, what did it matter that he wasn’t as gifted as Iwaizumi? He’d practice hard, as he did with everything else, and he’d force himself to become good, no, excellent player. Tooru wanted to be a setter, and for once he was going to get what he wanted, no matter what it took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing Oikawa's thoughts, I hope you liked reading them!


	3. It was him all along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa hits puberty.

Hajime may have been the last one to notice it. The something that happened to Oikawa on the summer of their first year in middle school, somewhere around his and Oikawa’s thirteenth birthdays.  
  
It started one Monday, when Oikawa was asked on a date.  
  
”Oikawa-kun! Would you like to… maybe… go to get ice cream with me after school?” It was a pretty girl, actually their senpai, and a week ago Hajime would have sworn she didn’t even know Oikawa’s name.  
  
For a split-second Oikawa seemed startled too. ”I.. I’ve got volleyball practice today, so I can’t. Maybe another time?” He flashed the fakest smile Hajime had ever seen on his face, and Hajime had to stifle the impulse to punch him.  
  
The girl smiled back and gave a piece of paper to Oikawa. ”Well, see you around!”  
  
”…yeah,” Oikawa answered, bashful. Being asked on what was maybe a date was one thing, getting a number of a beautiful senpai was on another level completely.  
  
He and Hajime exchanged confused looks. Then Oikawa glanced at the number on his hand and grinned at Hajime, who gritted his teeth and made a fist. He didn’t even rise it before Oikawa dodged.  
  
”C’mon Iwa-chan, I know you’re jealous but no need to get violent!”  
  
It wasn’t like Hajime didn’t know his friend was charming. After all, they used Oikawa’s charisma on regular bases. Whenever they were late for class it was always Oikawa who apologized. Whenever Oikawa wanted to spend the night at Hajime’s all he needed to do was to smile at his mother. And they got better snacks from her too, if it was Oikawa who asked. Generally speaking, spending time with Oikawa meant getting away with nearly anything.  
  
So Hajime brushed the senpai off his mind. What did it matter if one girl had a screw loose and actually wanted to date his idiot best friend?  
  
But it wasn’t just one girl.  
  
During the next few weeks, the date invitations, phone numbers, confession letters and blushing girls around Oikawa seemed to increase exponentially. Hajime really didn’t understand what they thought dating Oikawa would be like: he imagined it would probably be mostly waiting for outside of gym and maybe running errands for him. He honestly couldn’t imagine Oikawa as a considerate boyfriend, or any kind of boyfriend for that matter.  
  
And then there was this time when Hajime caught Oikawa gelling his hair after practice. His stomach flipped – was Oikawa actually going out with someone? He couldn’t bring himself to ask.  
  
But Oikawa just walked home with him, as usual. He had just started using hair gel every day, to the point where he didn’t want anyone to see him without it. ”You never know who you might bump into!”  
  
The next day, during the lunch, Hajime’s eyes fixed on Oikawa’s face. Something was different. Hajime’s gaze followed the straw of his juice box, right up to his lips, that were pale pink and perfectly plump. But… Oikawa’s lips were always chapped, sometimes nearly bleeding as he kept sucking the lower lip into his mouth. Hajime lifted his gaze, following the arc of Oikawa’s nose up to his eyebrows. Had they always been so elegantly shaped?  
  
”What?” Oikawa asked suddenly.  
  
”You’ve got something on your face, Trashkawa,” Hajime lied.  
  
Thinking of Oikawa putting chapstick on his lips and plugging his eyebrows made Hajime blush. They weren’t children anymore, and Oikawa had realized it before he did. There was a completely new game for Oikawa to play, and he was so good at it already.  
  
Also…  
  
”Oi, Oikawa!” Hajime called as they left the cafeteria.  
  
Oikawa glanced down at him.  
  
”When the heck did you get taller than me?”  
  
Oikawa laughed, and it was the exact sound of a two faced villain in a movie, on a moment when the hero finally realizes it was him all along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm oikawa fangirl trash don't look at me
> 
> also 13 yr olds are totally children still. i feel kinda weird writing even a mild tension between them even tho i know, having been a 13 yr old myself not that long ago (ok kinda long ago tbh), that hajime definitely thinks oikawa is almost an adult. why am i freaking out over this, really?

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://purukumiprinsessa.tumblr.com/)


End file.
